Into the Night Chapter 7: The Prank and LateNight Rendezvous, a gallagher girls fanfic

I'm SOO SOO SOO SOO SOO sorry! It took me forever! I was having writer's block but I'm good now. I think. Here's an EXTRA long chapter for you guys! Thanks so much to my reviewers! You guys are awesome! Even though I took so long, will ya'll still review? Please? With a cherry on top? And I'll update sooner if you guys give me eighty-five reviews! Maybe. I'm leaving this Friday and I won't be back for a month. Maybe that'll motivate you. Thanks again! Please still read my story even though I haven't update in a month! I love you all!

Disclaimer: Pssh! I wish I owned Gallagher Girls series. Then I'd own Zach. *sigh*

Oh! And I'm naming all my chapters now! I have names for all the previous ones. In case you didn't notice.

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Chapter Seven: The Prank and Rooftop Rendezvous

Cammie POV

I grinned at Zach as we made our way back to the school. He caught my eye and smirked back. I rolled my eyes and glanced back at the others. Macey and Nick were grinning (no doubt because of the little trick they played on the other four), Bex and Grant looked shocked (Bex couldn't believe she'd fallen for that and Grant couldn't believe he hadn't though of that), and Jonas and Liz were grinning widely. I couldn't quite figure this one out; maybe they liked getting tricks pulled on them? It was probably a Liz-Jonas moment.

Anyway, when Macey, Nick, Zach, and I had been going to the restaurant for lunch, we saw Liz, Jonas, Bex, and Grant. We decided we wanted to play a little prank on them and decided to go to the same restaurant. Macey and Nick decided that they would pretend that they were going out. It was Nick's idea, but I could tell he wished it wasn't a joke. So did Mace.

They latched onto each other's hands and casually walked through the doors. They were inching closer and closer to each other but I'm sure it was unconsciously. As I watched them, pretending to be a couple, I thought they looked so natural….And then it clicked: Macey McHenry and Nicolaus Walker had dated. And it hadn't ended well. That must be why Macey was so afraid, why she didn't just throw herself at him. She was confident; she was cool. She'd never had her heart broken…except by him. He'd ruined her routine of doing the heart-breaking. That's why she was so not Macey when she talked about Nick. Huh. Who woulda thought?

The expressions on our friends faces when they saw Nick and Macey was priceless. Bex was the first to react. She squealed and threw her arms around Macey. The blow and surprise of that—Bex squealing? So not Bex—almost caused the two to topple over. She—Bex—whispered something in Macey's ear, very quietly. Being a spy, I heard it. "Congratulations! There is no one who can resist the charm of Macey McHenry." Now, Bex doesn't say stuff like that so that surprised me.

Macey blushed and smiled. I was amazed how well she was getting at being a spy. Lying through your teeth—and being good at it—is never easy. But, then again, Macey has probably been lying to her parents since she could talk.

And then I realized that she may not be pretending; she really may be taking those words as a compliment.

It took me all of two seconds to process all this. Being a spy has its advantages. (A/N: Well, duh!)

I glanced at Nick and he was trying to contain laughter. Grant was patting him on the back in a congratulate manor.

And then the four of us—Nick, Macey, Zach, and I—couldn't hold it in. We all busted out laughing. Bex seemed confused for a minute and then comprehension seemed to dawn. Liz and Jonas were still grinning and sneaking glances at each other. Grant still looked confused.

Just as the last silence—minus out laughter—Bex reacted first. "That was a joke?" she asked incredulously. "Seriously?" She shook her head as we all nodded. She slumped in the booth, shook her head, and muttered under her breath, "And I fell for that?" I barely contained my laugh.

"Wait a second!" Grant's voice boomed out. "So—you guys aren't, like, together?" We shook our heads. "Why didn't I think of this?" he whined.

Bex slapped him upside the head. "'Why didn't I think of this?'" Bex mocked. "Never mind that. How could we have fallen for that?" She shook her head again.

Liz and Jonas still hadn't said anything. We turned around to find them wrapped around each other in the booth. Jonas seemed to be whispering sweet nothings into her ear. I rolled my eyes but none of us bothered to interrupt the two. They looked so…happy.

And that's how our prank went. It's funny how hard it is to play a spy-like prank on spies and how easy it is to play a normal prank on the same spies.

"So…." Zach's masculine voice brought me out of my thoughts. "What are you doing anything tonight?"

"I don't know," I said with a small smile.

He smirked. "What do you say about a late-night rendezvous on the roof?"

"Hm…." I pretended to ponder…like I had to think if I had anything planned. "I think I'm free," I consented three seconds later.

A raised eyebrow from him told me that he saw right through my "ponderings." "What, you had to make sure you were free?" He stopped abruptly and kissed me. Hard. And long. With…tongue action.

Now, being a spy, I'm supposed to be prepared for anything. But this? This, I wasn't prepared for. Tell me I'm a bad spy, but Zach doesn't just randomly kiss me. This was only our…what? Third? Fourth kiss? Even more importantly. It wasn't like him to show PDA (Public Display of Affection) except holding my hand or an arm around my waist.

Still, it felt…nice. I'm not a normal girl. I don't always get to do normal things. But somehow, having my boyfriend kiss me—in public!—seemed normal….

….And so did the clearing of throats and a too-familiar voice singing out, "Cammie? Zach? Oh my gosh! Cammie! Zach!" DeeDee's voice. Crap! (A/N: I ALMOST ended here! Thank your lucky stars!) And where there's DeeDee, usually there's Josh.

And sure enough, when we broke the kiss, there they were. And Josh's expression was closed. But I saw right through it: He was hurt.

Seriously, though, did he expect to be the only boy I ever kissed? Or maybe h didn't expect to see me with another boy?

DeeDee flung her arms around me, startling me out of my thoughts. "Cammie!" she exclaimed. "How are you?" she said more quietly. "I see you and Zach have finally made it official!" She giggled and pulled back, flashing a grin at Zach.

"He, DeeDee," he said, giving her what would look—to a normal teenage girl—like an easy smile, but to me—a not-so-normal girl—it looked more like the tight smile that it was. "Josh." His voice was fake-sweet. But, like I said, only a spy—a good one—would be able to tell. I thank whatever being that was up there—God—that he remembered Josh's name.

"Hey, Cammie," Josh said. "Zach," he added curtly. He didn't smile.

"Hey, Josh. Hey, DeeDee," I squeaked. Zach dragged me closer to him, his arm around my waist. "How are you?"

"Great," they said simultaneously…and too quickly. DeeDee said it more convincingly.

"That's good," I answered. An awkward silence followed. I didn't know what to say. However, when a spy is in doubt, just—

"We'd love to stay and chat," Bex said in a tone that suggested that we really wouldn't love to stay and chat, "but we have to get back to the school. We got all we needed for our chem. assignment, didn't we, Cam?" I nodded. "Well, it was nice seeing you two. Have a nice day."

DeeDee looked a little crestfallen but she gave me a hug and Zach a smile. "Hey," she whispered before she broke away. "I hope you and Zach are happy." She spoke quickly, like she needed to get it all out. "Josh is…not entirely over you, Cammie. He knows he needs to be and I've been trying to help him. It hurts him to see you. And in turn, that hurts me. I love Josh. Really, I do. But I don't know how to help him. If you have any ideas, please let me know. I just thought I'd tell you." Then she pulled back and resumed her happy façade.

I smiled and waved at them as we left. When we were a hundred yards away, I looked at Zach. "What was that for?" I asked with a smile so he knew I wasn't mad and I wasn't talking about Josh or DeeDee.

He glanced down at me and smirked. "What was what for?" he asked innocently. As if.

"That kiss. It was so…sudden."

He smirked. Again. How irritating does he think that gets? (Note to self: Ask Zach is he knows how irritating his smirks can get.) "Oh, ya know." Cryptic answer, Zach.

"No, I don't know," I said a little frustrated.

He sighed. "I was just showing you that I'll always have time for you." His lips were suddenly very close to my ear. "Even if you don't have time for me." He kissed my ear, sending a delicate shiver up my back. He chuckled and pulled back. The rest of the walk was done in silence. I just enjoyed his presence, thanking the heavens that he was here with me.

When we reached Gallagher Academy, we parted ways—the boys went back to their dorm and we went back to ours. It was three-thirty. I hadn't realized we'd been out so late. Or for so long. But even for spies, time flies when you're having fun.

Zach and I were meeting at nine, an hour before curfew. I wasn't sure what he had planned. Probably not something big but I was glad to be spending time with him.

When my roommates and I got back to our dorm, we all turned to the still-smiling Liz. She was looking through her clothes. She probably had a date. Like me.

Seeming to sense our gazes, Liz turned. In perfect Liz fashion, she said nervously, "What? I'm just looking for a book." Scratch the date idea.

"So?" Bex said in her thick British accent. "It took you and Jonas long enough to get in the restaurant. What were you two talking about?"

She blushed and took a book out of her dresser (A/N: Do they even have dressers?) that apparently was the one she was looking for. "Oh, that." She sat on her bed and opened the book. She scanned the pages in silence. We waited patiently on our own beds for her to elaborate, knowing she would, and knowing that we wouldn't have to push her for it.

She scanned through half the book (in five minutes, in case you wanted to know) before huffing in surrender. "Alright, fine!" she said in indignation. "We were…talking," she started. "He said something about how I'm an awesome girl after I said that I wasn't anything special." She took a deep breath and paused for a few seconds. "He said that a whole bunch of guys had noticed me." A small smile lit her face. "Then he said that he was the only one that needed to love me. He turned to go in the restaurant but I stopped him. And asked what he meant." A small tear escaped down her cheek. "He told me he loved me." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "And I—I love him too." She smiled and wiped away the trail the tear made. She turned back to the book. "Who would have thought that Jonas would be the first to say 'I love you'?" She giggled slightly and didn't say anything else.

But she was right. Jonas said I love you. Zach hadn't said that to me. Grant didn't say anything to Bex. That didn't surprise me. What surprised me was that Jonas had said it. He told my best friend that he was in love with her. And that's not Jonas. At all. That's not Liz, either. She's so shy and smart and nerdy. She's not what you'd call a "cool teen." She's an awkward one. And so is Jonas. So why—?

My thoughts cut off when I heard Macey saying my name. "Cammie?" she said, shaking me gently. "Cammie?"

I jolted forward. I blinked several times and then realized I must have fallen asleep. I glanced at the clock. It was seven-thirty. I had an hour and a half to get ready. That's probably why they were waking me up.

My stomach growled. We missed dinner too. Zach probably got food for me. That's probably what we were doing. Having a picnic on the roof. I smiled at the thought.

"Come one, Cam," Macey said. "We've got to get you ready for your sexy date." She winked. "Up you come." She grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the bathroom. "We've already got your outfit picked out," she said, pointing toward the counter. My outfit hung there. I stared at it for a minute. That's seriously what I was a wearing? It was a pair of blue basketball shorts and a T-shirt with a boy band on it. Zach's clothes. (A/N: I've always wanted to wear a guy's clothes! Sorry if that's weird.)

I turned to Macey. "How did you get these?" I asked.

She smirked. "Zach dropped them off. We were going to wake you but he didn't want us to. He wanted us to let you sleep." She grabbed the clothes and threw them at me. "Yeah, yeah, he's sweet. Now put those on so I can do you r make-up and Liz'll do your hair."

"Make-up? Macey, I'm wearing basketball shorts and a T-shirt. Why do I need make-up?" I stared at her, incredulous.

She shrugged. "Just a little. He said you didn't need it, because you're beautiful anyway, la-di-da. I'm just going to put on cover-up and lip gloss. Just a little. Maybe blush. Not a lot." She turned toward the door. "Before you ask, we're just straightening your hair and then crimping pieces of the top layer. Just so you know." She closed the door and left me to change.

An hour and half later, I was ready. We were meeting in the library, to seem inconspicuous. My friends gave me comm.'s units to put in my ear and a necklace with a camera transferred into it.

"Have fun," Macey said with a smile. "You finally took my advice! You know it's okay to like him."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Mace, I did. Now can I go?" They nodded. "Try not to listen too much, okay, guys?" I pleaded. "Please? Both Zach and I would appreciate it if you gave us a little privacy."

Bex rolled her eyes in return. "Come on, Cam! We wouldn't be your friends if we gave you privacy now, would we?" She winked.

"But true friends would," I tried, fluttering my eyelashes.

"We'll think about it," Macey answered easily. "Now Zach is waiting." She paused. "And he's waiting for you."

I smiled and walked out of the room, toward the guy I was falling in love with. (And for a spy, that's potentially dangerous.)

He was sitting at a table by the couch when I got there. He was reading and his back was to me. I walked quietly toward him and slyly put my hands over his eyes. "Guess who?" I said in a high-pitched voice.

"Hm….Is it Tina?" he asked playfully. I smacked him as he turned. "Oh, no, it's Cammie!" he murmured, rubbing his head. He pulled me down into his lap and inhaled my scent. He kissed me quickly before looking around. The library was empty. I got put, pulling him up with me. He led the way to the door to the roof. We had to make a few detours when we heard teachers (Solomon, my mom, Madame Dabney, and Mr. Smith) so it took us longer.

Eventually we made it. He deactivated everything just like earlier and we ran up the stairs, making sure to shut the door behind us. It was approximately nine-fifteen. We had forty-five minutes.

When we got up to the roof, I stopped in my tracks. Lying across the room was a blanket with a picnic basket. There was food already set our and candles for when the sun set. I didn't know Zach could be this spontaneous!

The sunset was beautiful. It reflected so nicely off the blanket. That sounds weird. Wow. And clichéd. But it was still nice.

I turned to Zach. Smiling, I threw my arms around him. "This is beautiful. I love it," I murmured against his chest.

He stroked my hair for a minute before speaking in a husky voice. "I'm glad. I tried to make it perfect for you, Cam." He paused and pulled back, staring into my eyes. He seemed to be searching for something. His resolve strengthened and he whispered, "I love you, Cam." When I only stared at him in shock, he continued. "I, Zachary Jared Goode, am in love with you, Cameron Ann Morgan. Since our second semester last year, I've been in love with you. In fact, I think I fell in love with you when Dr. Steve gave us our assigned girl to follow in D.C. last semester." He grasped my shoulders and stared so deeply into my eyes, I thought he could see into my soul. "I love you, Cammie. Always will." He waited for me to say something.

I blinked several times before smiling up at him. Zach was saying all these sweet things! Zach was in love with me!

And then I realized I hadn't heard from my roommates since I left the room. I was glad.

I took his calloused hand and studied his knuckles. Brushing my lips against his knuckles, I muttered, "Zach." I blinked back tears when I said his name and tried again. "Zach, I love you too. I fell in love with you some time between the time you offered me M&M's in the elevator and the ball for our test last semester. Thank you," I added softly, "for telling me that." I paused, waiting for him to say something. When he didn't, I looked up. His expression was more vulnerable than I had ever seen it. Pure bliss reflected off his face as he stared down at me.

He tentatively leaned down and kissed me, gently at first and then more hungrily, almost desperate. His tongues caressed my bottom lip and when I opened my mouth it swept in.

His arms encircled my waist and my hands buried in his hair. Our tongues danced, fighting for dominance.

It was the most passionate and desirous kiss I'd ever had.

Not that I've had many.

We pulled away, breathless. We were both grinning and I knew my cheeks were flushed.

"Shall we eat, my precious Gallagher Girl?" he asked quietly.

I raised my eyebrows. "'My precious Gallagher Girl?'"

He rolled his eyes. "What can I say? I like the sound of it."

It was my turn to roll my eyes. "Whatever, my precious Blackthorne Boy. Let's eat."

He smirked and drew me toward the blanket. There was lots of food: sandwiches, fruit, a few veggies, cookies. I didn't know how we'd eat it all.

"Take whatever," he said, gesturing toward the food. He took a bit out of his sandwich. "Ready for classes to start tomorrow?"

I groaned. "No."

"Aw, well, you'll have me again. Aren't you excited?" He grinned.

I smirked. "Oh, of course. Your annoying remarks always made my day.

He smiled. "I knew deep down, you always like it."

I laughed. I looked into his eyes for a moment and then scooted over to snuggle up against his side. He laid back and I let my head rest on his chest. We stared up at the stars.

"Aren't they beautiful?" I said quietly after a minute.

"Yeah." His eyes glinted. "But I don't think anything can be as beautiful as you."

I smiled and for the rest of the night, we watched to stars.

At ten-thirty (yes, we were out past curfew), he walked me back to my dorm. Outside, he kissed me and gave me a hug. "I love you," he whispered. He was about to leave when he turned and smiled. "I heard what DeeDee said today. I'm happy and I can tell you are." And then, with that cryptic remark, he was gone. Into the night, like last time. But not for good. I smiled. Taking a deep breath, I walked into the dorm.

"Just so you know," Macey said first thing, "we didn't listen. Or watch. The boys were here so we played games." She smirked. "Teachers didn't know they were here and they hid at lights out and then snuck back to their dorms a few minutes ago. You might have passed them."

I smiled gratefully. "Thanks."

"So…." Bex said. "Tell us everything!"

"Well…." I started. And I told them.

Everybody say it with me: "Awwwww." Okay, so how'd you like it? Was it too soon for Zach to say "I love you"? Or was that okay. Was there enough Zammie? Too much? Tell me about it! And do you guys want the action to come in? Because there isn't yet and there will be. I kinda feel like I'm dragging it out. This is chapter seven and they're still on the second day. So I think the next chapter will have more action than anything. I hope you like it! Remember, fourteen more reviews=happier me=faster update! If I can that is. The only other time I can update for another a month is Thursday and maybe Friday and Saturday. Unless my cousin lets me use her computer. Ha ha. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!! Toodles!